Preparation of nickel-carbon nanofiber composites by a pulse-reverse electrodeposition process

Nickel-carbon nanofiber composites were synthesized by means of pulse-reverse (PR) electrodeposition technique from a standard Watts nickel plating bath using a cationic polymer as the dispersing agent of nanofibers. The obtained composites were characterized by electron probe X-ray microanalyzer, field-emission scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer to demonstrate their microstructures. Results clearly showed that the composites were formed as the continuous films filled by a large amount of individual Ni-coated nanofibers with a closely packed arrangement. The PR electrodeposition enhanced the carbon nanofiber concentration compared to the DC electrodeposition in the nickel-carbon nanofiber composites. The morphological features and the composition of composites exhibited controllable characters by selectively modulating the PR electrodeposition parameters.